What is expedited reinstatement?

The expedited reinstatement provision provides you another option for regaining eligibility for benefits when we previously terminated your eligibility for disability benefits due to your work activity. The expedited reinstatement provision provides you the option of requesting that your prior eligibility for disability benefits be reinstated, rather than filing a new application for a new period of eligibility. Since January 1, 2001, you can request to be reinstated to benefits if you stop doing substantial gainful activity within 60 months of your prior termination. You must not be able to do substantial gainful activity because of your medical condition. Your current impairment must be the same as or related to your prior impairment and you must be disabled. To determine if you are disabled, we will use our medical improvement review standard that we use in our continuing disability review process. The advantage of using the medical improvement review standard is that we will generally find that you are disabled unless your impairment has improved so that you are able to work or unless an exception under the medical improvement review standard process applies. We explain the rules for expedited reinstatement in §§ 416.999a through 416.999d.